The loops on a topological space up to an equivalence relation called homotopy form a group called the fundamental group. We'll define the fundamental group and talk about two riddles whose solutions use this idea.

Emory University, Georgia Tech and Georgia State University, with support from the
National Science Foundation, will continue the
series of mini-conferences and host a series of 9 new mini-conferences from
2014-2017. The 15th of these mini-conferences will be held at
Georgia Tech during April 11-12, 2015. The conferences will stress a variety of
areas and feature one prominent researcher giving 2 fifty minute lectures and 4
outstanding researchers each giving one fifty minute lecture. There will also be
several 25 minute lecturers by younger researchers or graduate students.
For more details, see the
schedule

We will present a broad overview of UTRC’s research initiative
in Autonomous and Intelligent Systems (AIS) that was created to
conceive, develop and mature a broad range of intelligent mobile robotic
systems and capabilities to enhance and support the diverse array of
businesses that comprise the United Technologies Corporation. While
initial efforts have been focused on Sikorsky Aircraft unmanned
rotorcraft, the initiative is now expanding to include other aerospace
and commercial applications, as well. The research, conducted by a
diverse team of researchers in robotics, dynamical systems, control,
applied mathematics, computer vision, and computer science (in
partnership with several leading universities including CMU, MIT, UPenn,
and UCB) includes:
• Real-time algorithms for dynamic collision avoidance in an obstacle-rich environment using probabilistic roadmaps.
• Navigation with imperfect and intermittent sensors in GPS degraded environments.
• Multi-vehicle missions including efficient robotic search algorithms based on ergodic theory methods.
• Collaborative motion planning for multiple aerial and ground robots in
large, cluttered environments, trading off mission objectives while
satisfying logical/spatial/temporal constraints.
• Intelligent system design methodology including architectures for autonomy, human-machine systems, and formal verification.
We will conclude with research problems of interest to UTRC and discuss
existing and future career and internship opportunities in the broad
area of autonomy and robotics.

A reception will follow the talk and giving time for visitors to chat with Ellenberg and each other.

The math we learn in school can seem like a dull set of rules, laid down by the ancients and not to be questioned. In How Not to Be Wrong, Jordan Ellenberg shows us how wrong this view is: Math touches everything we do, allowing us to see the hidden structures beneath the messy and chaotic surface of our daily lives. It’s a science of not being wrong, worked out through centuries of hard work and argument.

The syntax of theoretical physics and modern finance is deceptively similar, but the semantics is very different. I present a short introduction to the principles of modern finance, and compare and contrast the field to physics.

Colm Mulcahy is a professor of mathematics at Spelman College, in Atlanta, where he has
taught since 1988. He's currently on leave in the DC area. Over the last decade, he has
been at the forefront of publishing new mathemagical principles and effects for cards,
particularly in his long-running bi-monthly Card Colm for the MAA. Some of his puzzles
have been featured in the New York Times. His book
<a href="http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781466509764" target="_blank">Mathematical Card Magic: Fifty-Two New Effects</a> was published by AK Peters/CRC Press in 2013.
Colm is a recipient of MAA's Allendoerfer Award for excellence in expository writing, for
an article on image compression using wavelets.

Martin Gardner was best known for his 300 "Mathematical Games" columns in Scientific
American, in which he introduced thousands of budding mathematicians to topics such as
RSA cryptography, fractals, Penrose tiles and Conway's game of Life, as well as elegant
puzzles which still lead to "Aha!" moments today. In his centennial year we'll survey
some of what he achieved and in particular the puzzle legacy he leaves behind.